# Kelly Kinnard

> Kelly Kinnard is Operating Partner and Head of Talent at Khosla Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's most storied venture capital firms. She leads the talent function across 500+ portfolio companies, advising founders and CEOs on how to recruit and retain exceptional leaders. With a career that spans elite retained search firms, Oracle's cloud transformation, and Battery Ventures before landing at Khosla, Kelly has helped shape the executive teams driving some of tech's most ambitious bets. She is known for treating recruiting like relationship-building - equal parts strategy, empathy, and persistence.

- **Role:** Operating Partner & Head of Talent at Khosla Ventures
- **Organizations:** Khosla Ventures, Battery Ventures, Oracle, Riviera Partners, SPMB, PeopleTech Partners
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, Whittier College, International Studies, Study abroad - Denmark, International Studies, Study abroad - Italy
- **Known for:** Recruited 50+ senior technology executives at VP/SVP/EVP level for Oracle's cloud transformation, Managed talent programs for 125+ portfolio companies at Battery Ventures, Leads talent function for 500+ active portfolio companies at Khosla Ventures

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Executive search at SPMB, specializing in venture capital-backed and emerging growth companies
- **Mid career** — Principal at Riviera Partners, retained search firm focused on VC-backed tech companies
- **Mid career** — Executive leadership recruiter for the President of Oracle; placed 50+ VP/SVP/EVP executives for Oracle's cloud transformation
- **~2016-2020** — VP of Talent / Talent Partner at Battery Ventures, managing talent for 125+ portfolio companies globally
- **2020+** — Operating Partner & Head of Talent at Khosla Ventures, advising 500+ portfolio companies on talent strategy

## Achievements

- Recruited 50+ senior technology executives at VP/SVP/EVP level for Oracle's cloud transformation
- Managed talent programs for 125+ portfolio companies at Battery Ventures
- Leads talent function for 500+ active portfolio companies at Khosla Ventures
- Published author on entrepreneurship and hiring at Entrepreneur.com
- Featured speaker on talent strategy at EU-Startups Podcast, Homeroom Podcast, and The Talent Tango
- Developed frameworks for competitive startup recruiting against FAANG-tier companies

## Latest updates

- **2024-07** — Featured on EU-Startups Podcast Episode 76, discussing talent strategy for venture-backed companies
- **2024-07** — YouTube video 'What Top Leaders Have In Common' published by Khosla Ventures
- **2024** — Continues to lead talent and operations at Khosla Ventures as Operating Partner

## Links

- Website: https://www.khoslaventures.com/team/kelly-kinnard/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellykinnard
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/kelly_kinnard

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kelly-kinnard
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-09